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SCIENCESaturday 20 February 2016

The heat goes on: Earth sets 9th straight monthly record

SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
January figures are in, and
Earth’s string of hottest-
months-on-record has now
reached nine in a row. But
NASA said January stood
out: The temperature was
above normal by the high-
est margin of any month
on record.
And January set anoth-
er record: Arctic sea ice
reached its lowest point
for that ice-building winter
month.

NASA said January 2016 This image provided by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows a map worldwide temperatures for
was 2.03 degrees Fahr-
enheit (1.13 degrees Cel- the month of January, 2016. Earth’s string of hottest months on record extends to nine straight with last month notching the hottest
sius) above normal. The
National Oceanic and January. But NASA said January was even more unusual, breaking the record for having the most above normal temperature for
Atmospheric Administra-
tion, which calculates any month. Associated Press
temperatures differently,
said last month was 1.87 tic region, according to square miles (13.4 million ruary 1998, which was the 1997-1998 for the strongest
degrees (1.04 degrees Cel- NOAA climate scientist Jes- sq. kilometers) in January, last time Earth had a large on record, according to
sius), which is the second sica Blunden. Siberia, north- which is 90,000 square miles El Nino. It is still behind the NOAA. And while it has
biggest margin in history. west Canada, and a lot of (233,000 sq. kilometers) be- 10 straight months of re- been predicted to ease
NOAA said the greatest Alaska were at least 9 de- low the previous record cord heat in 1944, Blunden soon, it has not lessened
was this past December. grees Fahrenheit warmer set in 2011, according to said. It’s likely we’ll tie that yet, said NOAA Climate
January’s average global than normal, she said. the National Snow and record in February, she Prediction Center deputy
temperature was a record That heat was why there Ice Data Center. It’s also said. director Mike Halpert.
55.5 degrees Fahrenheit was record low sea ice in 402,000 square miles (1mil- The current El Nino — an oc- NASA chief climate scien-
(13 degrees Celsius), eas- the Arctic for this time of lion sq. kilometers) less than casional natural warming tist Gavin Schmidt blamed
ily beating the old January year, when sea ice grows, the 30-year normal. of parts of the Pacific that the record heat mostly
record set in 2007, accord- Blunden said. The string of nine consecu- changes weather around on man-made climate
ing to NOAA. Records go January Arctic sea ice tive record hot months the world and spikes global change, with an assist from
back to 1880. averaged only 5.2 million matches June 1997 to Feb- temperatures — is tied with El Nino.q

There were colder-than-
normal patches in parts of
the United States, Europe
and Asia in January, but
they were overwhelmed
by incredible “off our
chart” warming in the Arc-